Oak tree named &#39;qsftc&#39;

ABSTRACT

An Oak tree named ‘QSFTC’ having a dense, upright, uniform branching pattern, glossy, dark green leaf, and red fall color, and also which is capable of being reproduced reliably using vegetative cuttings.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] None.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

[0003] Believed to be Quercus shumardii.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

[0004] ‘QSFTC’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety ofQuercus shumardii, which has been given the varietal name ‘QSFTC’. Idiscovered my new tree in 1995 as a chance seedling in a cultivated areaof a nursery growing area in Bulloch County, GA.

[0006] The parentage of this tree is not totally certain. It isdefinitely a red oak type usually represented by Pin Oak, Quercuspalustris, or Red Oak, Quercus rubra. There are also several relatedspecies, including Nuttall Oak (Quercus nuttallii), Shumard Oak (Quercusshumardii), and Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea). My new tree hascharacteristics and a history that have prevented making an exactidentification of its species possible. However, I believe it is a newvariety of Quercus shumardii.

[0007] Seeds were collected from a group of three trees of an unknownvariety in Birmingham, Ala. The seed were collected in fall of 1991 andplanted into seedbeds in late winter of 1992. In spring of 1993, 1,200bare-root liners were transplanted to a growing area of a nursery. Thisis where I discovered my new variety. The original tree has remained atthis location since its discovery.

[0008] The original tree has displayed characteristics resemblingNuttall Oak and Scarlet Oak, as well as, Shumard Oak. There is muchconfusion over the exact identification of this tree, and severalexperienced individuals have expressed differing opinions. The onlyconsistency has been the opinion that the acorn is generally the mostdistinguishing characteristic determining the species difference betweenNuttall Oak and Shumard Oak. Other trees from the group of 1,200 havefruited, and their acorns resemble both Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak.However, acorns from my new tree have more characteristics of a ShumardOak which suggests that my new tree is most likely a Shumard Oak or atleast has Shumard Oak as a parent. Other physical characteristics of thetree, such as leaf size, sinus depth, or bud features, do not providedefinitive answers as to the true parentage of the tree.

[0009] Also, Shumard Oak, as well as most other red oak types, readilyhybridize with one another, and thus there is a possibility that thistree is a result of a cross between a Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak orsome other species of red oak. In Texas, Nuttall Oak is found in thelower Southeast corner of Texas, Shumard is located in a wide bandcovering most of the eastern part of the state, and Texas Red Oak,Quercus texana, is the primary tree in the central part of the stateeast of Dallas. There is also a large swath of habitat between theprimary Shumard Oak and Texas Red Oak regions where the predominant treeis a hybrid between Shumard Oak and Texas Red Oak. Thus, hybrids arecommon and can easily make up a large population of the trees in anygiven area.

[0010] In 1995, this original tree of my new variety was successfullypropagated by softwood cuttings at my direction, and the progeny havethus far proven to retain the dense, upright, uniform branching pattern,glossy, dark green leaf, and red fall color of the original tree even assmaller plants.

[0011] I have observed this original tree of my new variety andasexually propagated progeny for a period of time and believe my newvariety particularly useful as a specimen or for grouping in lawns,parks, golf courses, commercial landscapes, and as a street tree. Itprovides good shade, has a fast growth rate, adapts well to variousplanting conditions, and has good structural integrity. It also providesornamental interest with its red fall color.

[0012] Typical Shumard Oaks and Nuttall Oaks are pyramidal trees thatbecome more spreading with age. My original tree and asexuallypropagated progeny have an upright shape. I expect the trees to becomemore spreading with age as is typical of the species. Both Shumard Oakand Nuttall Oak typically reach 40 to 60 feet high and wide in thelandscape, but can reach 100 feet or more in nature.

[0013] My new variety has been asexually propagated at my direction inBulloch County, Georgia from softwood cuttings. This propagation andobservation of the resulting progeny have proven the characteristics ofmy new variety to be firmly fixed. Furthermore, these observations haveconfirmed that my new variety represents a new and improved variety ofShumard Oak as particularly evidenced by the dense, upright, uniformbranching pattern, glossy, dark green leaf, and red fall color and whichcan reliably be asexually propagated using vegetative propagationtechniques. The progeny have yet to produce any acorns.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] As I observed the original tree of my new variety, the uniquenessof this tree became apparent because of its dense, upright, uniformbranching pattern, glossy, dark green leaf, and consistent red fallcolor. These characteristics distinguish my new tree from other ShumardOaks of which I am aware. This tree is capable of being reproducedreliably using vegetative cuttings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0015] The accompanying photographs depict the color of the tree andfoliage of my new variety as nearly as is reasonably possible to makethe same in a color illustration of this character. It should be notedthat colors in a photograph can vary with lighting conditions. Also,growing conditions can affect plant color.

[0016]FIG. 1 is a photograph of the parent tree of my new variety insummer leaf.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a close up photograph of two single leaves depicting theupper and under side of leaves from a tree of my new variety.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a close up photograph of my variety showing typical fallleaf color.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a close up photograph of a portion of the trunk of theoriginal tree.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a photograph showing the typical branching angle ofbranches of my new variety from the main trunk.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a close up photograph of typical acorns from theoriginal tree of my new variety.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following detailed description of the ‘QSFTC’ variety isbased on observations of the original tree, which was about nine yearsold and of about six year old progeny growing in Bulloch County,Georgia. The progeny had been asexually propagated from softwoodcuttings at my direction in 1995. The observed progeny have thus farproven to retain the dense, upright, uniform branching pattern, glossy,dark green leaf, and red fall color of the parent tree even as smallerplants.

[0023] Scientific Name: Quercus shumardii, Varietal Name ‘QSFTC’

[0024] Parentage:

[0025]Seed parent.—Unknown.

[0026]Pollen parent.—Unknown. Believed to have Quercus shumardii as oneof the parents.

[0027] Tree:

[0028]Overall shape.—Upright, more spreading with age, with a full headand central dominant leader.

[0029]Height.—About 38 feet.

[0030]Width.—About 24 feet.

[0031]Caliper.—Original tree, 9 inches at 12 inches above ground.

[0032]Vigor.—Fast growing; growth of 11 typical branches during 2001growing season ranged from about 2 inches to about 15 inches.

[0033]Trunk bark texture.—Typical of the species. In youth bark issmooth. Mature Bark: Develops shallow ridges and furrows.

[0034]Trunk bark color.—Light grey (RHS 201D).

[0035]Patches or other markings.—Greyed-Green; Color: (RHS 194C).

[0036]Primary branches.—Somewhat upright. Typical branches emerge fromthe trunk at 60 degree angle.

[0037]Branch color.—One year old branches, greyed-orange (RHS 164A).

[0038]Branch pubescence.—None observed.

[0039]Branch lenticels.—Greyed-orange (RHS 163D).

[0040]Internode length.—Eleven typical one year old branches during 2001growing season ranged from about one-half inch to about two inches.

[0041]Hardiness.—Unknown, only observed in Zones 7 and 8 as of thistime. The species, Shumardii is native from Zone 5 to Zone 9.

[0042]Disease resistance.—No susceptibility to diseases has beenobserved.

[0043] Leaves: The leaves of Nuttall Oak, Shumard Oak, Pin Oak, andScarlet Oak all closely resemble one another, and my tree has leavesthat most resemble a typical Q. shumarii in size and shape, however,some characteristics indicate that it could also be influenced byScarlet Oak as well.

[0044]Size and shape.—Typical of the species. Alternate, simple, obovateto elliptic, 4 to 8″ long, 3 to 4″ wide, with 7 to 9 lobes. Sinuses cutdeeply to the midrib.

[0045]Base.—Acute.

[0046]Apex.—Acute.

[0047]Margin.—No serrations between leaf points.

[0048]Texture.—Upper leaf: Smooth; Lower leaf: Smooth, somewhat rougherthan upper surface.

[0049]Sheen.—Upper leaf: Glossy; Lower leaf: Dull.

[0050]Petiole.—1½ inch to 2¼ inch; Color: Yellow-green (RHS 146C).

[0051]Stipules.—None observed.

[0052]Leaf color.—Upper leaf surface: Dark glossy green (RHS 136A)(insummer), typically deep red (RHS 53B)(in fall). Lower leaf surface:Lighter green (RHS 146B)(in summer), typically deep red (RHS 53B) (infall). Vein: Color: Yellow-green (RHS 146C).

[0053]Pubescence.—None observed. The length, width, thickness and othermeasurements mentioned above were obtained from observations of aboutten typical leaves in 2001.

[0054] Flowers: Most oaks have flowers so similar that it is difficultto distinguish between species based on flower type alone. The flowersof my new tree are typical of most oaks. The trees are monoecious. Thestaminate catkins are pendent and clustered. The individual flowerscomprise a 4- to 7-lobed calyx that encloses 6 to 12 stamens. Pistillateflowers are solitary or in few to many-flowered spikes from the axils ofthe new leaves. Individual pistillate flowers consist of a 6-lobed calyxsurrounding the ovary, with the whole partly enclosed in an involucre.

[0055]Buds.—Buds are typical of the species, being imbricate, ¼ to ⅜″long, glabrous, light brown; (RHS 200D).

[0056] Fruit: (Observations from a limited number of typical acorns fromthe original tree, acorns have yet to be observed on progeny.

[0057] The acorn for this tree most closely resembles that of ShumardOak. In this case, they are typical of the species. Acorns are ovate, ¾to 1½″ long, short-stalked, oblong-ovoid and covered only at the base bythe cap (FIG. 6). The acorn is grayed-orange in color (RHS 177B) withdark brown (RHS 200A) striations. The cap is light brown (RHS 199B). Theacorn is the best identifying feature to discriminate Shumard Oak fromNutall Oak. Shumard Oak has an acorn of approximately the same size andshape, though sometimes Shumard acorns are more ovate, as Nutall Oak.However, in Shumard Oak, the cap covers only the top part of the acorn,and the striations are more pronounced.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Oak tree substantially asherein shown and described, characterized particularly as to novelty byits unique glossy, dark green leaf and its red fall color.